New Trend: Romanticizing Abusive Relationships

A new image has surfaced of an alternate scene from the recent blockbuster Suicide Squad showing the Joker exerting dominant body language and scolding Harley Quinn during the helicopter escape. The image reinforces the abusive relationship that the Joker and Harley hold in the comics, but that was controversially downplayed in the film in order to cater to a broader audience.

Although I found the film entertaining and well cast, it did not seem like anything more than the most basic of basic superhero films. The fact that I had to type superhero bothers me, because this should have been a film about villains fighting worse villains, or at the very least antiheroes, but because of the way that they were portrayed on screen, we literally need verbal reminders in the film that they are “bad guys.” This film seemed to have suffered from a poorly written script and, as I already mentioned, the fear of being “too dark.” Not to mention that Jared Leto’s Joker, probably the most hyped character of the film, had very limited screen time, although he was given second billing.

Despite the Joker’s eight minutes of screen time, the scenes depicting his relationship with Harley Quinn probably made the biggest impact on viewers.

https://twitter.com/shireen_sara/status/765005001714524160

My relationship goal is to be like Harley Quinn and The Joker 😍😭

— Brooke (@bflanagan__) August 11, 2016

So am I the only one who thinks that the Joker and Harley Quinn are THE ultimate relationship goal??😈😍

— Wonder Woman (@bailee_bruce) August 10, 2016

Yes, Harley Quinn and the Joker are now #relationshipgoals, mostly to a generation that isn’t as familiar with the comics or prior television shows. Companies are even profiting off this idea. I can’t really blame them if they gained this perception just from watching the film. The way the relationship was portrayed really was interesting. Interesting enough to mindlessly overlook any small signs of abuse that stemmed underneath the scenes of the Joker and Harley joyriding. The film failed to show the full scope of their relationship that is such a vital element to their full story.

Despite all this, the relationship seen on screen is borderline abusive. The backstory flashbacks show the Joker using Harley as a means to an end from the beginning, as he charms her into getting him a machine gun to break out of Arkham Asylum. The first instance of abuse I recognized was when as Dr. Quinzel, she recites “I brought you a kitty” like a little girl desperate for daddy’s approval, and it just goes downhill from there.

From getting electrocuted to jumping into a vat of acid, there was nothing Harley wasn’t willing to do for the Joker. But what did she get in return? He drove them off a bridge into a river and abandoned her to be captured by Batman. Even though the rest of the film is the Joker trying to break her out of prison, does that make up for the fact that he let her go in the first place?

I recognize that wanting to have had a scene where Harley confronts or stands up to the Joker is a lot to ask for from this type of film. I also have to admit that when Harley wasn’t with the Joker and was solely participating as part of the squad, she proved to be autonomous, fighting equally beside her counterparts and not passively waiting around for the Joker to come and save her. Nor, surprisingly, did she just serve as an object of sexual desire. It’s almost like her character takes one step forward when she’s with the team, but two steps back when the Joker shows up.

So what do people find so romantic about this relationship? The Joker’s dominance and assertiveness? That will you die for me/live for me speech even got me thinking. Harley’s ride-or-die demeanor? Maybe just the fact that they are both mentally insane (glamorizing mental insanity is another issue). I would say that it’s all of the above, and this combination made it even easier to overlook the abusive elements of their relationship.

I hope that they take advantage of the possible Harley Quinn movie to further explore this relationship and maybe show people that abuse and manipulation aren’t #relationshipgoals.